Above the clouds

Peace Friends,

It is with joy that I am here to try to pass on a little about our work. I believe I’ll be able to summarize and pass on to you a general panorama.

The last 13 months of life here in Nepal have been completely satisfactory. Every day I praise God for the opportunity to be serving in this ministry. I hope that, by God’s grace, I will be able to continue serving the Lord for a long time.

As you know, I work with communications for Apple of God’s Eyes. Being able to send news of the girls and of Nepal is always a great joy. I also help in whatever way is necessary. I know I haven’t sent news about me, because at times I find it complicated. I always think there is something more I should say, and I end up saying nothing.

This week, anyway, something special happened. The Girls ministry has a contract with the government with the charge to go to the villages and conduct prevention campaigns against the trafficking of girls. We are to go to the most remote places to alert the people about the ways in which girls can be trafficked. This time we went as a group: Mamata, who is president of Nepalese Home, Silvio, Rose with Ashinha, Sheyla, representatives of WM, the lawyer for the ministry, a professional woman who gives the seminars, and I (in communications) taking photos and serving in general. It was a unique and unforgettable experience. I had always heard about the prevention work, but to be in a group taking the word to them was significant for me.

We left Kathmandu on Sunday, August 24 on the road to Jiri, a region in the interior of Nepal. First we had to stop in another city, Charikot, seven hours away. We went up and down mountains on a beautiful trip. Nepal has the most marvelous passages and no matter how many photos we took, they certainly can’t express the gigantic beauty that exists in these places. I had never been in the clouds, other than being in an airplane. But on this trip we managed to arrive at nearly 10,000 feet. It was funny because I was literally walking in the clouds. We crossed waterfalls. It was all fantastic.

We worked in three villages. Only one had access via road. The other two were only by foot.

The first village we visited walking was called Maili. It was Buddhist. It took four hours of hard hiking, under rain, walking above the clouds. I didn’t have the right kind of shoes, and I took three big and embarrassing falls, not to mention the leeches that were the cause of many shouts and panic. I remembered my time at the mission school a lot, with the hike to Pastor José’s small farm and the survival tests. You can know for sure they were worth it. The truth is that nothing could have taken away the pleasure in being there, seeing this beautiful Nepal that God created.

OK, we went up to the top of the mountain and then had to go down it completely, because the village was in the valley. Pretty, pretty, pretty!! A strong emotion overwhelmed my spirit, because I was learning a little more of the culture and the people of Nepal. I thought the return would be cruel and very tiring, because I arrived there very tired. But to the contrary, the return was even more beautiful, because the weather opened up and we could see even more beautiful passages.

Everywhere we passed the people were waiting for us, with a row of people giving us “malas” which are Nepali flower leis that are given to honor a person. But in that hour it certainly wasn’t us whom they were honoring. It was the Lord, because we are His representatives here on earth, and all the honor is His. We were walking on that territory to claim it as the property of the Lord Jesus. It was something very new because I never had had this experience. I though it was beautiful on their part, but in my spirit I felt the need to be giving all the honor to Him who called me and enabled me for His work.

I got home August 28, Thursday, missing all the things I had experienced in these five days and knowing a little more of my dear country, Nepal.

Finally, with each day that passes, I become more accustomed to the culture, love it more, I am happier living here and giving my life for this nation and living with the leaders of this work, Silvio, Rose, Lucas and Sheyla. They have given me the opportunity to take part in this work. It is the cause of much gratitude. I am very thankful for their lives.

I thank the Lord because I have the conviction that God brought me here so I want to obey Him in what he desires.

Thank you for loving missions.

I will be sending news soon.

Hugs,